BJP maintains dominance in South Karnataka, NDA alliance bags 10 out of 14 seats

BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has not swept the state, but performed reasonably well with 19 seats

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has maintained its dominance in South Karnataka, with the NDA alliance winning 10 out of the total 14 constituencies in the region. Congress managed to win only in Hassan and Chamarajanagar.

Political observers say BJP-JD(S) alliance was instrumental in securing victories for the NDA, particularly in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysore region.

The alliance between the BJP and JD(S) helped consolidate Vokkaliga and Lingayat votes, benefiting the NDA in the Old Mysore region, where they swept all constituencies except Chamarajanagar (reserved) and Hassan, where Congress candidates won.

The NDA emerged victorious in Mysuru, Mandya, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar (Reserved), Chikkaballapur, and Tumkur, as well as three constituencies in Bengaluru.

The JD(S), which saw its vote bank shift to Congress during the 2023 Assembly elections, managed to win two out of the three constituencies it contested within the NDA alliance – Mandya and Kolar. For JD(S), which is fighting for political existence, victory in two Lok Sabha segments (Mandya and Kolar) is a relief.

In Hassan, party faced a major embarrassment after Prajwal Revanna, grandson of Deve Gowda and accused of sexually abusing multiple women. Prajwal lost in Hassan Lok Sabha constituency by 42,649 votes to Congress' Shreyas M Patel.

Notably, BJP-JD(S) candidate and and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda's son-in-law Dr CN Manjunath defeated Congress' DK Suresh by 2.69 lakh votes in the Bengaluru Rural constituency, where he had previously won in the 2019 polls despite the Modi wave.

However, Congress managed to wrest Chamarajanagar from BJP and defeat JD(S) in its stronghold of Hassan, where JD(S) candidate and rape accused Prajwal Revanna lost by 42,649 votes.

Of the total 14 Southern Karnataka seats, BJP-led NDA had previously won 12 seats (except Bengaluru Rural and Hassan) with a thumping majority in 2019 general election.

Results 

Hassan: Congress's Shreyas Patel, grandson of former minister late G Puttaswamy Gowd, won against Deve Gowda’s grandson, Prajwal Revanna by a margin of 42,649 votes.

Bangalore Rural: BJP's Dr C N Manjunath, son-in-law of JD(S) supremo and former PM H D Deve Gowda, defeated D K Suresh, brother of deputy CM D K Shivakumar from the Congress, by 2,69647 votes.

Bangalore South: BJP’s youth leader Tejasvi Surya defeats Congress candidate Soumya Reddy by 2,77083 votes.

Bangalore North: BJP leader and Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje wins by 2,59,476 votes.

Bangalore Central: BJP’s PC Mohan defeated Congress's Mansoor Ali Khan.

Mandya: JD(S)'s HD Kumaraswamy, former CM, won by a margin of 2,84,620 votes.

Mysore: BJP's royal scion Yaduveer Wadiyar won with a margin of 1,39,262 votes.

Udupi Chikmagalur: BJP's Kota Srinivas Poojary won over Jayaprakash Hegde from Congress with a margin of 25,9175 votes.

Chitradurga: BJP's Govind Karjol, former deputy CM, defeated three-time MP B N Chandrappa with a margin of 48,121 votes.

Tumkur: BJP’s V Somanna won defeating Congress's S.P Muddahanume Gowda with a margin of 1,75,594 votes.

Kolar: Mallesh Babu of JD(S) by 71388 votes.

Chamarajanagar: Congress candidate Sunil Bose, son of Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa, wins against BJP's candidate S. Balaraj, former MLA from Kollegal assembly constituency in the district, by 1,88706 votes.

Dakshina Kannada: BJP candidate Captain Brijesh Chowta won with a margin of 1,49,208 votes defeating Congress' Padmaraj R Poojari.

Chikkballapur: Dr. K. Sudhakar (BJP), a three-time MLA and former health minister, defeated  M.S. Raksha Ramaiah, the son of senior Congress leader and former minister MR Seetharam by 1,63,460 votes.